A long-established retailer that has expanded from farm supply to include supplies for homeowners, gardeners and pet owners has a new logo and is welcoming the public to its upcoming Customer Appreciation Days.

Brandt’s Farm Supply was founded in 1954, on the backs of dairy farmers, where cows were milked by hand and milk was poured into cans. Life was simple. Herman Zeager and Susan Loump, were both about 2 years old when Brandt’s started; eventually they grew up, got married and took over the Zeager family farm.

Brandt’s at the time was a well-known local farm supply store providing on-call 24-hour availability, and was used by the Zeager farm for all sorts of supplies. In the year 1990, there was a horrible barn fire at the Zeager farm. The community banded together to aid Herman and Susan in the construction of a new barn and Brandt’s installed a new milking parlor. Years passed by until around 2001 when Herman was seeking a new challenge. It was at that time he became aware of the opportunity to purchase Brandt’s.

Susan Zeager had management experience in retail prior to the purchase of Brandt’s and along with her experience, the Zeagers’ background with rural living made them a perfect fit for the business’s direction. In more recent years now, there has been a shift away from dairy farmers which required management to sit down and reevaluate the business and who the customers are. With the shift in the customer base, there was an awareness of a need to change the business’s identity.The business turned to SCORE, a nonprofit business mentoring group that began in 1964 as the Service Corps of Retired Executives. With SCORE mentor Tom Burgum facilitating, the Elizabethtown SCORE roundtable of the Elizabethtown Area Chamber of Commerce had a roundtable discussion about the identity of Brandt’s today. The discussion revolved around the fact that our customers were more in the line of the urban homesteader, who is described as someone with “a lifestyle of simple, agrarian self-sufficiency.”

Following that discussion, the employees of Brandt’s had a discussion, and Taylor Zeager, Brandt’s newly hired graphic designer, created some logo designs that were focused around the newly found image. The colors green and brown came into the spectrum along with the concepts of the 1950s as well as roosters. The final logo was made to be a simple yet recognizable rebranding of the company.

The tagline from the SCORE roundtable was finalized – “established in simpler times, same great service” to highlight what the business is today. Brandt’s Farm Supply continues as a small family business, with long time employee, Lynn Brandt (who began employment when Harold Brandt owned the business), owners Herman and Susan Zeager, multimedia designer Taylor Zeager, and several hard working part timers, all to fulfill the role now carved out in the market of farm, home, pet and garden supplies. The business welcomes all to its Customer Appreciation Days, which are Friday, Nov. 16, and Saturday, Nov. 17.